Illuminated decorative frame



July 23, 1963 G. w. CONNELL ILLUMINATED DECORATIVE FRAME Filed April 21, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR George C'wzzzef/ ATTORNEYS July 23, 1963 s. w. CONNELL 3,098,611

ILLUMINATED DECORATIVE FRAME Filed April 21, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR G'Zarj 14. Cara/z 61/ ATTORNEY8 United States Patent 3,0%,611 ILLUMINATED DECORATIVE FRAME George W. Council, 5831 Florence Ave, Philadelphia, Pa. Filed Apr. 21, 1961, Ser. No. 104,582 2 Claims- (Cl. 240-) The present invention relates to display devices which are adapted for use in connection with home displays, industrial displays, and mercantile displays.

A purpose of the invention is to permit the user to completely assemble an electric lighting display, whether incident to a festival or holiday such as Christmas or Halloween or whether employed in connection with advertising or promotion, by installing the display on a frame remote from the place of final mounting, and desirably at a convenient spot which will not require the use of a ladder during the preliminary arrangement of the display, then permitting installation in a window or other opening, with adequate adjustment for the size of the opening and means to engage and grip the window opening without the requirement that screws, nails or other fastenings be applied or holes be drilled.

A further purpose is to provide an adjustable display mounting frame which is capable of being dimensionally changed to fit the desired vertical and horizontal dimensions of the opening.

A further purpose is to assist in frictional engagement of the frame to the opening after the frame has been initially adjusted so that it will generally fit in the opening, without requiring precise measurement and precise initial adjustment of the frame, suitably accomplishing the final gripping of the frame in the opening by resilient plungers or the like.

A further purpose is to make the frame capable of ready disassembly for the purposes of storage.

A further purpose is to provide overlapping top, bottom and side elements which can be adjusted by cooperating fasteners and alternate holes.

A further purpose is to extend a conductor continuously around a frame whereby light sockets may be removably connected to the conductor.

Further purposes appear in the specification and in the claims.

In the drawings I have chosen to illustrate one only of the numerous embodiments in which the invention may appear, selecting the form shown from the standpoints of convenience in illustration, satisfactory operation and clear demonstration of the principles involved.

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a frame of the invention prior to insertion into a window opening.

FIGURE 2 is a plan section of the frame, taken on the lines 22 of FIGURE 1, showing the frame inserted in a window opening.

FIGURE 3 is a section through the corner connection and overlapping side sections taken on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical section on the line 44 of FIGURE 2 showing the spring biased fingers in engagement with the window opening side wall.

FIGURE 5 is a partial perspective of a modified frame of the invention showing an extension element in place on the frame. 7

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a modified frame of the invention showing a conductor mounted on the frame.

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged section of the frame taken along the line 7-7 of FIGURE 6.

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged elevational view of the extension elements showing the electrical connection.

FIGURE 9 is a partial perspective showing the light conductors wrapped around the frame.

3,098,611 Patented July 23, 1963 FIGURE 10 is a partial perspective showing conductors on an insulator.

FIGURE 11 is a partial plan view of a frame showing a light socket.

FIGURE 12 is a sectional plan view of a frame having a modified plunger.

In the prior art it is often difficult and tedious to pro vide decorations for holidays such as Christmas, New Year, Easter, Halloween, etc. A similar difliculty is encountered in industrial and mercantile displays.

The practice in many cases has been to install the same on the spot, and where the location of installation is inaccessible, this has involved stringing lights from ladders, platforms, scaffolding and the like. In some cases this has necessitated the use of professional help, because of the amount of climbing required, and the hazard particularly when installing and testing lights in wet weather.

Once the lights are installed and when they must be serviced to replace bulbs which have burned out, or to remove the installation, similar difficulties have been encountered.

An important objective of the present invention is to make it possible to complete the arrangement of the lights into the desired form at a very convenient location which is on the ground and which does not require climbing. It is then possible by the invention to install the desired assembly of lights or lights and other decorations, including evergreens, holly, and the like, without the necessity of doing anything more than adjusting a frame to fit a particular window opening or other opening.

In accordance with the invention this can be done without nailing, stapling, screwing or drilling of holes, thus avoiding the damage to woodwork and other accessories which were previously incident to the stringing of lights and the mounting of decorations.

The invention is applicable to homes, stores and industrial establishments constructed of a wide variety of different materials, including brick, stone, frame and prefabricated buildings.

In accordance with the invention, the frame can be adjusted to determine the desired vertical and horizontal dimension, and then frictionally engaged in place by resilient plungers or other elements which grip the sides or the top and bottom of the window opening.

In accordance with the invention, in many cases the frame can be slipped into the window opening from inside the building, and in other instances this can be done from the ground or where required, ladders or other climbing aids can be used.

One of [the great advantages of the device of the invention is that it can very readily be disassembled and packed away with decorations which are to be used at the recurrence of the particular festival such as Christmas.

The invention is also applicable to permit insertion of extension elements to permit attainment of frame dimensions which are larger than otherwise possible by merely adjusting overlapping elements of the frame.

The display device of the invention has sides 20 formed of sections 21 and 22, a top 23 formed of sections 24 and 25, and a bottom 26 formed of sections 27 and 28. The sections 21, 22, 24, 25, 27 and 28 have spaced holes 30 extending in a direction transverse to the plane of the assembled frame. Bolts 31 extend through overlapping sections and are secured by nuts 32. The sides are connected to the top and bottom with bolts 33 and wing nuts 34 which hold in an abutting relationship tenons 35 extending from the ends of the sections. Holes 36 extend in the plane of the frame through the sections, preferably one in each section. Long plungers or bolts 37, having heads 38 and shanks 40 extend through the holes with the head in a direction toward the interior of the frame. Surrounding the bolt-s on the outside of the frame are helical compression springs 41 which abut at one end against the frame and at the other end against the nut 42 threaded on the bolt 37.

In the assembly and installation of the frame, the side sections 21 and 22 are overlapped, as at 44, so that they form a length approximately equal to, but slightly shorter than, the height of the window opening. The corresponding holes are aligned in the sections, and at least two bolts 31 are inserted through the sections and fastened in place by the nuts 32. Likewise sections 24 and 25 are assembled to a length slightly shorter than the width of the window opening to form the top of the frame, and sections 24 and 25 are assembled into a length equal to the top 23 to form the bottom 26 of the frame. The tenons 35 are fitted together, and bolts 33 are passed through matching holes 43 in the tenons. Wing nuts 34 are threaded and tightened on the bolts.

It should be understood that the plungers or biased bolts 37 may be placed at the top and the bottom of the frame, rather than at the sides. Furthermore, the sections may be assembled by means other than bolts and match-ing holes, for example, they may be assembled by clamps or tongues and grooves.

In a modified form of the invention, the sides, bottom, or top elements are extended as shown in FIGURE 5. Extension elements 45 of a cross sectional shape and size equal to the sections of the frame have matching holes 46 through which bolts 47 are passed to Secure the sections 21 and 22 together. Thus a frame having an increased length and width may be obtained.

In FIGURE 2, the frame is shown inserted in a window opening. The long plungers or bolts 37 are forced outwardly from the frame by helical compression springs 41 so that nuts 42 bear against the sides of the window opening at 48 and 50*. The window sash 49 remains unaffected by the insertion of the frame into position, since the plungers bear against the structure surrounding the window sash, rather than the sash itself. The frame lends itself equally well to insertion in any rectangular opening, such a recess in a wall, or a passage opening between rooms.

Lights, in the well known form of Christmas decorations, wherein bulbs are placed at intervals along conductors, may be strung along the frame either by wrapping the frame spirally with the conductors 51 having bulbs 52 as shown in FIGURE 9, or the conductors may be strung through insulators 53 mounted on the sections as shown in FIGURE 10. The frames may also serve to suspend greens, or other conventional decorations. These could also take the form of advertising copy such as silhouettes, where desired.

In FIGURES 6 to '8, I show a form of invention in which insulated, spaced conductors are placed along the sections. This insulation is in the form of a U in cross section with the aims 56 of the U folded down against the base 57 to envelop a conductor 58 located at the junction of the base and each arm of the U. Appropriate end connections, such as by spring wire loops 60, are formed at the end of each insulated spaced conductors 61 whereby the loops at the end of one conductor springs under the folded arm of the insulation and comes into contact with another conductor on an adjacent section 62' whereby electrical continuity of the circuit is maintained. This insulated spaced conductor 54 is well known in the art and commercially available. A lead-in conductor 76 from a suitable source, such as residential wiring, feeds the insulated spaced conductor. Light bulb sockets 63 are rotated into position wherever desired along the insulated spaced conductor 54 so that an electrical pickup is obtained. These sockets 63 have lead-in conductors 64 which contact each of the conductors 58. The sections of the frame are assembled together and inserted into the window opening in the manner previously described, the holes, bolts, and plunge-rs being omitted in FIGURES 6 to 8 for clarity.

In FIGURE 12, I show an offset 65, in place of nut 1 on the plunger 37, whereby the offset may engage in a groove or opening 66 so that the frame need not be mounted within an opening, but may be mounted over a window where the window 67 is set flush with the wall 68.

In view of my invention and disclosure, variations and modifications to meet individual whim or particular need will doubtless become evident to others skilled in the art, to obtain all or part of the benefits of my invention without copying the structure shown, and I, therefore, claim all such insofar as they fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a display device, an adjustable frame comprising side, top and bottom elements connected together at the corners, said elements having overlapping parts, a plurality of spaced adjustment holes extending through said overlapping parts, adjustable fasteners extending through one of said adjustment holes and interconnecting said parts and adapted to be introduced in a plurality of different adjustment holes to permit dimensional adjustment of the frame in :both the horizontal and vertical direction, openings in the sides of the frame at upper and lower positions extending generally toward the outside of the frame, frictional engaging elements mounted in the openings and passing outward to a position beyond the frame, each of said frictional engaging elements having a plunger including a spring retainer abutment on its outer end and a plunger retainer head toward its inner end, and a helical compression spring surrounding said plunger and urging said plunger outward by action from the frame against the said spring retaining abutment, said frictional engaging element adapted to engage a window opening, an electric light assembly interconnected with and mounted on said 'frame and removable bodily from said window opening with said frame, said electric light assembly comprising continuous electrical conductors on said overlapping elements permitting plug-in at any desired position along the frame, a connector extending from each conductor of the overlapping [frame element to each conductor of an underlapping frame element, electric sockets removably plugged into the said conductors at any desired position along the frame, and electric lamps in the sockets.

2. A display device of claim 1, in combination with extension elements interconnecting to the said overlapping parts in the side, top and bottom elements.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. IN A DISPLAY DEVICE, AN ADJUSTABLE FRAME COMPRISING SIDE, TOP AND BOTTOM ELEMENTS CONNECTED TOGETHER AT THE CORNERS, SAID ELEMENTS HAVING OVERLAPPING PARTS, A PLURALITY OF SPACED ADJUSTMENT HOLES EXTENDING THROUGH SAID OVERLAPPING PARTS ADJUSTABLE FASTENERS EXTENDING THROUGH ONE OF SAID ADJUSTMENT HOLES AND INTERCONNECTING SAID PARTS AND ADAPTED TO BE INTRODUCED IN A PLURALITY OF DIFFERENT ADJUSTMENTS HOLES TO PERMIT DIMENSIONAL ADJUSTMENT OF THE FRAME IN BOTH THE HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL DIRECTION, OPENINGS IN THE SIDES OF THE FRAME AT UPPER AND LOWER POSITIONS EXTENDING GENERALLY TOWARD THE OUTSIDE OF THE FRAME, FRICTIONAL ENGAGING ELEMENTS MOUNTED IN THE OPENINGS AND PASSING OUTWARD TO A POSITION BEYOND THE FRAME, EACH OF SAID FRICTIONAL ENGAGING ELEMENTS HAVING A PLUNGER INCLUDING A SPRING RETAINER ABUTMENT ON ITS OUTER END AND A PLUNGER RETAINER HEAD TOWARD ITS INNER END, AND A HELICAL COMPRESSION SPRING SURROUNDING SAID PLUNGER AND URGING SAID PLUNGER OUTWARD BY ACTION FROM THE FRAME AGAINST THE SAID SPRING RETAINING ABUTMENT, SAID FRICTIONAL ENGAGING ELEMENT ADAPTED TO ENGAGE A WINDOW OPENING, AN ELECTRIC LIGHT ASSEMBLY INTERCONNECTED WITH AND MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME AND REMOVABLE BODILY FROM SAID WINDOW OPENING WITH SAID FRAME, SAID ELECTRIC LIGHT ASSEMBLY COMPRISING CONTINUOUS ELECTRICAL CONDUCTORS ON SAID OVERLAPPING ELEMENTS PERMITTING PLUG-IN AT ANY DESIRED POSITION ALONG THE FRAME, A CONNECTOR EXTENDING FROM EACH CONDUCTOR OF THE OVERLAPPING FRAME ELEMENT TO EACH CONDUCTOR OF AN UNDERLAPPING FRAME ELEMENT, ELECTRIC SOCKETS REMOVABLY PLUGGED INTO THE SAID CONDUCTORS AT ANY DESIRED POSITION ALONG THE FRAME, AND ELECTRIC LAMPS IN THE SOCKETS. 